ABUJA, NIGERIA — President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has assured oil workers that Nigeria’s state-owned refineries will return to operation following a comprehensive structural and economic reset.
Speaking on Thursday at the State House in Abuja during a meeting with the National Executive Council of the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG)—led by National President Comrade Salimon Akanni Oladiti—President Tinubu stated that the Federal Government will adopt an evidence-based, technical approach rather than short-term fixes to revive the nation’s 445,000-barrel-per-day refining infrastructure.
Key Policy & Structural Highlights
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Profitability & Value Standard: President Tinubu emphasized that merely producing flames or smoke from flare stacks does not constitute a functional refinery, stressing that facilities must operate efficiently and profitably.
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Systematic Technical Assessment: The administration is initiating detailed research, technical audits, and management overhauls across state refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna to address longstanding operational and financial bottlenecks.
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Acceptance of Inherited Liabilities: The President reaffirmed that he accepts full responsibility for resolving the inherited assets and liabilities of previous administrations to deliver long-term energy security.
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CNG Expansion & Union Integration: The Presidency pledged deeper integration of NUPENG in driving the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Initiative to lower transportation costs for commercial motorists and commuters.
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│ NIGERIA REFINERY STRUCTURAL RESET MATRIX │
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│ • Announcing Authority : President Bola Ahmed Tinubu │
│ • Key Audience : NUPENG Leadership (Led by Salimon A. Oladiti) │
│ • Meeting Location : State House, Abuja │
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│ • Core Objective : Structural, operational, and financial │
│ reworking of state-owned refineries │
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│ • Combined Capacity : 445,000 bpd (Port Harcourt, Warri, & Kaduna) │
│ • Operating Principle : Profitability and sustainable value creation │
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“I Take Responsibility to Fix It and Make It Work”
“The refineries that you mentioned are going to come back to work; we’re just building a very firm, resetting, and structural reworking of the economy of it. Ordinary flame and smoke of a refinery doesn’t mean that it’s working until it’s profitable and yields the value for which it is built.” — President Bola Ahmed Tinubu
“I’m not a man who goes looking back on everything because I’ve accepted the assets and liabilities of my predecessor. No matter what has happened in the years past, it’s now my responsibility as president to fix it and make it work for the greatest common good of our population. I take responsibility for that, and we will do it.” — President Bola Ahmed Tinubu
